Reports, proud muckraking, photos, videos and musings from the veteran LGBT and AIDS human rights advocate Michael Petrelis. Based in San Francisco since 1995.
Contact: MPetrelis_at_AOL_dot_com.
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Monday, December 21, 2015

Kiosk Ad Revenue: $4M for SF - $62M for JCDecaux

As long-time readers of this blog are well aware, I am no fan of various forms of street furniture cluttering our precious public sidewalks and spaces. Recently, I had to know how much ad revenue the City has received over an eight-year period and a public records request to the Department of Public Works delivered these responsive figures.

2007
SF: $498,600
JCDecaux: $6,629,000

2008
SF: $555,300
JCDecaux: $7,420,000

2009
[Complete omission. Estimate based on years where figures were provided.]
SF: $517,000
JCDecaux: $7,490,000

Here are the public records for years 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012, letters from JCDecaux to DPW in which revenue due SF and overall advertising revenue were both included:

2007

2008

2010

2012

I asked DPW spokeswoman Rachel Gordon how this arrangement favoring the street furniture and advertising giant came to pass, and she said:

"The revenue structure is part of the contract that the City forged with JCDecaux in 1998. Part of the deal was that the company would install and operate the self-cleaning public toilets in exchange for advertising rights.

"The contract expires in early 2017. We recently issued as RFP (request for proposal) asking interested vendors to submit proposals for operating public toilets once the current contract expires. The new contract opens the door to opportunity for more revenue, more public toilets, etc."